Acharei Mot (After the death)

Leviticus 16:1-18:30

“Blood Life”

POSTED 18 APRIL, 2008

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Leviticus 17:11).

Just like the double portions of Tazria-Metzora that are separated for the leap year readings, Acharei Mot is usually coupled with the following portion, Kedoshim. This parashah starts out with describing the meticulous requirements for the high priest to perform on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. As the section of specifics comes to a close, two things really get your attention. First, this observance is stated to be a permanent statute for God’s people. Secondly, the community of Israel is commanded by God to “humble your souls” on the ensuing Sabbath:

“This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute” (Leviticus 16:29-31).

The Lord has made this a permanent statute, so that once a year His people get the privilege of considering the absolute necessity of a sacrificial life-for-life. The concept of atonement for sin can be reflected upon and considered with ramifications for both individuals and the corporate Body of Messiah. Even though we have the final atonement in the blood of the Messiah Yeshua, it is beneficial for each of us to reflect upon this necessity for our salvation. By fasting and humbling our souls on this solemn day of rest, we can be reminded that the Apostles were also meditating on the reality of the precious blood of the Messiah, as reflected in some of their writings:

“[B]eing justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Messiah Yeshua; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Romans 3:24-25).

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

“[A]ccording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Yeshua the Messiah and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (1 Peter 1:2).

“[B]ut if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

If Paul, Peter, and John understood and reflected upon the need for a blood sacrifice, it is obviously beneficial for us to do the same. We know that a profound life principle is articulated about the need for a blood sacrifice to atone for our sins is shown for us here in Leviticus 17:

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Leviticus 17:11).

Here, our Hevenly Father explains that atonement for our sins can only be accomplished by the substitution of life-for-life or blood-for-blood. The Lord requires a living soul to atone for the sins of another living soul. Prior to the Resurrection, the blood of animals was placed on the altar for the sins of the people. When Yeshua came and offered Himself up as the sin offering, the payment was complete. In fact, according to the writer of Hebrews, Yeshua was both the High Priest and the final sacrifice needed to satisfy the Father’s requirements:

“But when Messiah appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance…For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.’ And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Messiah did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Messiah also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him” (Hebrews 9:11-16, 19-28).

In this passage from Hebrews, the author talks about entrance to the Holy of Holies and the blood that is required. Of course, he also introduces the reality of the New Covenant being instituted by the blood of Yeshua. Yeshua’s obedience to offer Himself up as the sacrificial Lamb initiated the covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34:

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord. ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”

When you read the Messianic Scriptures, you realize that the Apostles were very aware of the impact of Yeshua’s sacrificial death. They understood that the blood of the Messiah was critical for the salvation of human beings and the inauguration of the New Covenant. Clearly, by reading their epistles and knowing what writings they were quoting, you can conclude that they were knowledgeable about what the New Covenant actually was: the Lord writing His Law onto our hearts.

While thinking through this reality in light of Acharei Mot, it dawned on me that the principles discussed in this Torah portion were also referenced extensively at a crucial juncture in the development of the post-Resurrection Body of Messiah. In the early years after the Ascension, the gospel was going forth in power and people from different backgrounds and cultures were coming to the knowledge and acceptance of Yeshua’s atoning work at the cross. A contention arose among the early Believers because in certain areas, as the gospel went forth from the Land of Israel, non-Jews were being saved and they desired fellowship with the Jewish Believers. The difficulty was bridging the two cultures between those who were Torah observant and the new converts.

Do you recall the problems recorded in Acts 15 that occurred in Antioch? From the testimonies we see that a major dilemma was going on. The Jews of the Antioch assembly were discovering that a number of non-Jews were evidencing all the signs of being filled with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). For unknown reasons, non-Jews were being “born again” and the local leaders did not know what to do with these people, because, according to the Torah, these people were “unclean” from a variety of actions they participated in from their cultural and social upbringing. The problem of circumcision, and whether conversion to Judaism was required for fellowship, finally prompted the elders of the assembly in Antioch to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to determine what should be done. What has been labeled the Jerusalem Council was convened with James, the half-brother of Yeshua, presiding.

If you follow the proceedings that are recorded in Acts 15, you will note that James seemed to sit back and listen to all of the arguments that were presented before he made his summary statements. Being the younger brother of Yeshua, there is no doubt that he understood—as well as many of his contemporaries—that Yeshua had inaugurated the New Covenant with His sacrificial death. James would certainly know that the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31 was without question a covenant between the House of Judah and the House of Israel—because that is exactly what Jeremiah said it would be:

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:31-32).

James recognizes the Biblical reality that the salvation of the nations was a part of the restoration of the Tabernacle of David, meaning the whole House of Israel. He makes a direct quotation from Amos 9:11-12, from this week’s Haftarah selection, a prophecy detailing the restoration of all Israel:

“‘In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name,’ declares the Lord who does this.”

The difference is that James says “so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the gentiles who are called by My name” (Acts 15:17). James does not follow the Hebrew text in Amos, but the Septuagint rendering which reads with hoi kataloipoi tōn anthrōpōn (oi kataloipoi twn avnqrwpwn) for the Hebrew shearit Edom (~Ada tyrav). The LXX Rabbis understood Edom (~Ada) to be connected to adam (~da), also the Hebrew word for “mankind, people” (HALOT)[1] and rendered it in Greek as “the remnant of men” (Apostle’s Bible), referring to God’s faithful remnant that would come forth out of humanity’s masses. James makes the connection between the salvation of Israel and those of the nations coming to faith in Israel’s Messiah. James would have had to recognize that a critical part of Israel’s restoration would have been the keeping of the Torah by all coming into the fold. In Ezekiel 37:24, we are told that when all Israel is restored “they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them.” Jeremiah 31:33 says, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it” (cf. Hebrews 8:10).

Is it possible that as James was considering the salvation of the nations, he was reflecting on the restoration of the Tabernacle of David described by the Prophet Amos? What do you think was going on in his mind as he made the final ruling? Consider what Amos actually prophecies:

“For behold, I am commanding, and I will shake the house of Israel among all nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, but not a kernel will fall to the ground. All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, Those who say, ‘The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’ In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name,’ declares the Lord who does this. ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; when the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills will be dissolved. Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them,’ says the Lord your God” (Amos 9:9-15).

The Apostles had a great command of the Scriptures. There is every reason to believe that James had the entire Torah memorized. After all, he was Yeshua’s half-brother and grew up in the same household. Here, Yeshua was instructed, in all truth and righteousness, by His Earthly father Joseph. The other siblings received the same instruction from their Torah observant parents. As James presided over the Jerusalem Council, listening to all of the persuasive arguments, you will note by his conclusions that this Torah portion has three of the four specific things James concludes must be adhered to by the non-Jews in order to have them come into fellowship at the local synagogue. Here is James’ binding summary statement:

“After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, ‘Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’ says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago. Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath” (Acts 15:13-21).

Did you notice the reference to the Amos passage? It is possible that James concluded that what was happening in Asia Minor was the beginning of the restoration of the Tabernacle of David. But he had the wisdom to know that there were certain things that needed to be followed in order for the different cultures to come together in fellowship. James listed four things that he knew needed to be stopped in order for the non-Jews to be allowed to come in among the Jews for fellowship and instruction. Three of those restrictions are considered in Acharei Mot, and the fourth is mentioned and further discussed in the next Torah portion. According to the conclusions agreed upon by the brethren at the Jerusalem Council, these are the four things that had to be adhered to in order to minimize the tension between the Jews and the other cultures: abstinence from idolatry, fornication, non-kosher meat, and blood. This being done, they could then agree to come together to fellowship and receive the instructions from the Torah, as Moses was proclaimed every Sabbath in the Jewish synagogues.

Three of these vile acts are specific negative commandments from Acharei Mot, and the fourth is talked about in Kedoshim. If you consider that table fellowship was a vital part of coming together on the weekly Shabbat, you can conclude that issues regarding the proper respect for blood needed to be considered:

“And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people” (Leviticus 17:10).

“For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.’ When any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening; then he will become clean” (Leviticus 17:14-15).

From these Torah instructions, James knew that anyone eating blood or animals that were improperly slaughtered bore the risk of being cut off from the people of God. The proper respect for the attributes of the blood of animals was obviously a critical component for maintaining fellowship within the camp. In other words, if the Jews in the assembly knew that blood was being consumed, they were subject to being cut off from the people of Israel. If they were eating meat that was improperly butchered and bloody, then according to the Torah they would be unclean and unable to participate in the instruction from Moses on Shabbat.

We later read that serving meat sacrificed to idols was a problem in the ancient world. Paul talks about this when he addresses some issues with the Corinthians, where the problem of eating meat sacrificed to idols had caused divisions in the body. Paul concludes his instruction in 1 Corinthians 8 with the following statement to the stronger Believer in the work of the Messiah:

“Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:13).

Another problem that James concluded at the Jerusalem Council has to do with the persistent problem of idolatry that was prevalent throughout the ancient world. In Acharei Mot, the Torah addresses the problem of sacrifices to goat demons and commands the people to stop. In Kedoshim, the idols of molten gods are mentioned. But regardless of the living status, James’ instruction was that the practice of idolatry, which may have extended to one’s daily business activies and banking at a pagan temple, needed to stop. Consider what the Torah says:

“They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations” (Leviticus 17:7).

“Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:4).

Once again, in order to maintain table fellowship, the things contaminated could very well be the what was brought to the assembly to eat. The new Believers were instructed to not bring things that had been contaminated by idols.

The last admonition from James has to do with the subject of sexual immorality. If we go to Acharei Mot, we can see that Leviticus 18 lists many vile acts of sexual sin. The consequences of these sins is ejection from the Land of Israel, and for Believers, James may have been considering ejection from the Body of Messiah:

“Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you” (Leviticus 18:24-28).

James knew from this Torah portion that these requirements for abstaining from sexual immorality were incumbent upon all followers of the God of Israel. He also knew that the introduction of sexual immorality into a body of Believers would destroy the unity and love that was being established. With the agreement of the others gathered in Jerusalem, the admonitions of James were made a “standard policy” during the early stages of building the Body of Messiah. These four dictates took the pagan culture out of the lives of these new non-Jewish Believers so they could fellowship with the Jewish Believers. This allowed the great mass of non-Jews to now come and participate in the weekly Torah instructions. In time, as the different assemblies went through the Torah cycle, the former idol-worshipping pagans in attendance began to receive further understanding about how the other aspects of the Torah were beneficial to their walk with the Messiah.

From the very beginning of one’s attendance in these First Century assemblies, they learned the proper respect for blood. The whole sacrificial system was based on the need for blood atonement for one’s sin. In order to participate, they learned that the blood of animals was not to be consumed. They learned that you should properly slaughter the various clean animals for human consumption. They discovered that sacrificing animals to idols was prohibited.

They learned from all of these examples that the most important blood that exists is the blood of the Messiah Yeshua. They were taught through this portion, and the availability to the other Torah portions as they attended the increasing numbers of groups, that it was the blood of the Messiah that cleansed them from their sins. They learned—without a doubt—that the concept of the life being in the blood was never better epitomized then when contemplating the eternal life purchased by the precious blood of the Messiah. Eventually, they learned in their fellowships that it was perfectly good and right to honor that blood by remembering it being offered up by participating in partaking in the wine and bread emblematic of the New Covenant at Passover (1 Corinthians 11).

In this modern era, let us as Messianics also recognize how much the Father wants us to be cleansed so that we can enter into even more intimate fellowship with Him and those who are also part of the Body. If studying the Torah was recommended two thousand years ago with the early Believers beginning to conform themselves to the image of the Messiah, there is every reason to believe that it will work today. May we all likewise remember that the life is definitely in the blood—and that eternal life is only available through the blood of the Lamb, our Messiah Yeshua!

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.

NOTES